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Canvas Discussions

Canvas Discussions is a collaborative platform that facilitates interactive communication between instructors and students through threaded or focused discussions, fostering collaborative learning experiences. It includes features for creating, managing, and engaging in discussions so that users can participate actively and contribute meaningfully to class conversations.

Features for Instructors

Effortlessly create, refine, and manage discussion topics to foster engaging classroom conversations.
Initiate threaded or focused discussions tailored to your teaching objectives, encouraging in-depth exploration of topics.
Customize due dates for discussions to align with your course schedule and learning outcomes.
Facilitate group discussions as graded assignments, promoting collaborative learning experiences.
Seamlessly integrate graded discussions with the Gradebook for streamlined assessment and feedback.
Stay informed with subscription-based notifications, ensuring active participation and timely responses.
Enhance discussions with multimedia content such as files, images, and videos, enriching student interactions.
Fine-tune discussion settings to encourage meaningful contributions while maintaining control over the discourse.
Utilize advanced functionality like role labels, flexible viewing options, and robust reporting tools to optimize discussion management.
Cultivate an inclusive learning environment with features like mentions, quotes, and anonymous discussions, fostering open dialogue and diverse perspectives.

Features for Students

Students can engage in dynamic discussions initiated by instructors, exploring diverse topics and viewpoints within the course community.
Collaborative learning and deeper understanding with classmates is seamlessly enabled by navigating threaded or focused discussions.
Customizable due dates for discussions help students stay organized, ensuring timely participation and contribution to class conversations.
Group discussions foster teamwork, collaboration, and shared learning experiences.
Instructors can provide feedback and grades directly within discussions, allowing students to track your progress and performance.
Subscription-based notifications, ensure students never miss an opportunity to join the conversation.
Instructors can allow students to enrich the depth and impact of their contributions with multimedia content like files, images, and videos.
Customizable settings promote respectful and constructive interactions among classmates.

Not Optimal For

Real-time communication: Canvas discussion boards do not support real-time messaging, making them less suitable for quick interactions or urgent discussions that require immediate feedback.
Large class sizes: In courses with a large number of students, discussion boards can become overwhelming and difficult to manage. It can be challenging for instructors to keep track of all the threads and provide meaningful feedback to every student.
Complex threading: Canvas discussion boards have a simple threading structure, which may not be optimal for complex or nested discussions.

Dealbreakers

Anonymous discussions are truly anonymous for students: Although the names of teachers and TAs are always visible, the identities, including names and profile pictures, of students remain concealed from everyone in the course, including teachers. Unlike the anonymous grading option in Assignments and Quizzes, where revealing student identities is possible, the anonymity in discussions is irrevocable. Additionally, all course participants have access to the “report a reply” feature to flag any inappropriate comments.

Ways to Incorporate

Structured discussions: Create weekly discussion prompts that align with course material or meeting topics. This structured approach encourages regular participation and helps keep discussions focused.
Peer-to-peer interaction: Encourage students or team members to respond to each other’s posts. Peer interaction can enhance understanding and create a more engaging learning or working environment.
Small group discussions: Divide the class or team into smaller groups within the discussion board for more intimate discussions on specific topics. This can make managing discussions easier and give everyone a chance to participate more fully.
Guest speakers or expert: Invite guest speakers or experts to participate in a discussion board thread. This can provide unique insights and allow for asynchronous interaction with the expert.
Multimedia integration: Encourage the use of multimedia in posts, such as videos, podcasts, or infographics, to enhance the discussion and cater to different learning styles.
Reflective practice: Use the discussion board for reflective practice, asking participants to post reflections on what they’ve learned or experienced in relation to specific topics or activities.
Moderated debates: Organize debates where students or team members take on opposing views and argue their points in a structured format within the discussion board.
Q&A space: Create and pin a Q&A board for students to post questions.

Accessibility

Keyboard navigation: Users can navigate through discussion threads, reply to posts, and access features using keyboard shortcuts, providing an alternative to mouse-based interaction.
Screen reader compatibility: Canvas is designed to work seamlessly with screen reader software, allowing visually impaired users to access discussion content and participate in conversations.
Alternative text for multimedia: Users can add alternative text descriptions to images and multimedia content uploaded to discussions, ensuring that visually impaired students can understand the content through screen readers.
Responsive design: Canvas Discussions is built with responsive design principles, ensuring that the interface adapts effectively to various screen sizes and devices, making it accessible to users who may use different devices or zoom levels.
Color contrast: Canvas follows accessibility guidelines for color contrast, ensuring that text and interface elements have sufficient contrast for users with visual impairments.
Semantic HTML: Canvas uses semantic HTML markup, providing clear and meaningful structure to discussion content, which aids users relying on assistive technologies to navigate and understand the content more easily.
Accessibility guidelines compliance: Canvas is developed following accessibility standards such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to ensure that the platform meets the needs of users with disabilities.

Resources

General Information

Discussions can be graded or ungraded.
If a discussion is open, you can reply below the discussion topic by selecting Reply.
Your instructor may lock other students’ replies until you make a reply first.

You can engage in dynamic discussions initiated by instructors, exploring diverse topics and viewpoints within your course community.
Seamlessly navigate threaded or focused discussions, enabling collaborative learning and deeper understanding with classmates.
Stay organized with customizable due dates for discussions, ensuring timely participation and contribution to class conversations.
Collaborate effectively in group discussions, fostering teamwork and shared learning experiences with peers.
Receive feedback and grades directly within discussions, allowing you to track your progress and performance.
Stay updated with subscription-based notifications, ensuring you never miss an opportunity to join the conversation.
Enhance your contributions with multimedia content like files, images, and videos, enriching the depth and impact of your responses (if allowed by instructor).
Participate confidently with customizable settings that promote respectful and constructive interactions among classmates.

Resources

Cost: Free

Release Status: Production

How to Access

In your Canvas site, select Discussions in the course navigation menu.

Get Help

See articles under Instructor Guide: Discussions Redesign.
Select Help on any Canvas screen and choose from help options. Canvas provides 24-7 support for Discussions, including live chat and a support hotline.
Want to talk with someone at Virginia Tech? Go to the 4Help Portal, sign in, and select Get Help.